The Meaning of the Successor in the Saying of Allah the Exalted: “Indeed, I am going to place on the earth a successor”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
In his question, the questioner asks: What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted[Al-Baqarah 2:30]? And what is meant by “successor”?
The Shaykh:
He fulfills the needs of the people, leads the people in prayer, and settles their affairs. He is a successor on earth, beginning to act on behalf of Allah in conveying His commands and prohibitions, like the messengers and the rulers.
The questioner:
The second question: How did the angels know that the son of Adam would cause corruption on the earth?
The Shaykh:
Allah knows best. Some said we know it from the news of the jinn, because the jinn came before the humans and they had caused corruption on the earth, and they assumed that these humans were like them. Some derived it from something else.
The questioner:
The scholars include the word “successor” in their discussion.
The Shaykh:
That is, the successors of the scholars and the ‘Umrah. The scholars are the successors of the messengers, and the ‘Umrah is the successor of the four [Imams].
The questioner:
And the callers to Allah are also like that.
The Shaykh:
And the callers are among the scholars if you have knowledge. May Allah reward you with good.
In his question, the questioner asks: What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted
Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority
إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةًThe Shaykh:
He fulfills the needs of the people, leads the people in prayer, and settles their affairs. He is a successor on earth, beginning to act on behalf of Allah in conveying His commands and prohibitions, like the messengers and the rulers.
The questioner:
The second question: How did the angels know that the son of Adam would cause corruption on the earth?
The Shaykh:
Allah knows best. Some said we know it from the news of the jinn, because the jinn came before the humans and they had caused corruption on the earth, and they assumed that these humans were like them. Some derived it from something else.
The questioner:
The scholars include the word “successor” in their discussion.
The Shaykh:
That is, the successors of the scholars and the ‘Umrah. The scholars are the successors of the messengers, and the ‘Umrah is the successor of the four [Imams].
The questioner:
And the callers to Allah are also like that.
The Shaykh:
And the callers are among the scholars if you have knowledge. May Allah reward you with good.
Source
التعليق على رياض الصالحين، تابع باب الإصلاح بين الناس : الحديث : [ 253 ] — islamhouse.com (9:52)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.